(I don’t do this for everybody, but I’m willing to drop my asking price to $250,000 and a 10% stake in the UFC. Have you seen my fight with Fedor?)

According to Ricardo Arona, he is only one win away from getting an invite to the UFC, but finding a promotion to fight for hasn’t been easy for the former PRIDE middleweight champion.

"That conversation with Dana White was basically about it, that I’d fight again in other event to recover my rhythm, and it’d be a good thing for me. I’d like to fight on UFC, I feel like I’m ready for it, but if I have to fight again first, there’s no problem with that, too," he recently told Tatame’s Guilherme Cruz. "[War on the Mainland] called me about fighting [at one of their] events, but there’re nothing set. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I want to fight abroad, not in Brazil."

Cagepotato Comments

Showing 1-25 of comments

Damn, some serious Pride bashing around here. Glassjawsh, are you really gonna bring up Mark Coleman? Both him and Nakamura couldn't win when they were in Pride either. Gomi just knocked out Tyson Griffin in his second UFC fight. Werdum beat two top contenders and never got any respect.

As far as Arona goes, he is outdated. How he could never learn to just keep his chin down is insanity. At this point, he is the poor man's Palhares. He has no shot in the UFC. Bellator seems more up his alley, but he would never do it for peanuts.

rite leg ospitahl- October 18, 2010 at 2:39 pm

i thought this was a story like six months ago. i even think they used the same pic of him and d.w. it is what it is though arona, while asking for far to much and under the delusion of his previous grandeur, has only lost to fedor soko, wandi rua and rampage. he has beaten overeem, wandi, Dan Henderson, and guy mezger. nah hes not great but he aint bad either there are a lot of potential draws in the realm of his rematches, or "pride rematches". i mean honestly who really cares about L.H.W. right now anyway? there is nothing going on there yeah he may be a big flop, but he might be able to pull off a couple wins to i say why not? make him an offer dana and see if he takes it. i mean he let kimbo and toney in and they were overrated one dimensional fighters passed their prime

C'mon guys. You know you all want to see him get slammed into oblivion again.

Kid Clam Curtains- October 18, 2010 at 11:50 am

One-dimensional grappler. Yay.

RwilsonR- October 18, 2010 at 11:49 am

Unless Arona has changed his 'chin up and out' boxing stance in the last couple of years, I think he would be in for more matches like the one against Sokodjou in the UFC.

RwilsonR- October 18, 2010 at 11:47 am

Arona still fights?

Strikeforce should do "Guys who the UFC wasn't interested in because they think they are worth more than they are" tournament, with Arona, Arlovski, Henderson, and Sylvia. Todd Duffee could be an alternate. Roger Huerta could do publicity for it, but only if he was well compensated.

Fedorable66- October 18, 2010 at 11:45 am

Arona BEAT eastman by UD. I believe he injured his knee during the fight, thus resulting in his performance looking less then stellar. But this guy is still a top talent. He might have the best grappling in the LHW division, and he has smothering top control.

Not saying he's gonna be putting on FOTN wins consistantly, but this guy has the ability to make a splash (assuming he's doing something other then surfting).

Fried Taco- October 18, 2010 at 11:43 am

Somebody call Butterbean!

Kimbos Bread- October 18, 2010 at 11:43 am

FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd like to see Ricardo in the UFC. Though, I doubt he'd be more than a gatekeeper.